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Stay-at-home sons are the latest iteration of the ‘trad-wife’ trend.
We have Nara Smith to thank for the advent of the modern ‘trad-wife’. Whether Smith defines herself within these borders is another thing, but the influencer’s dulcet tones and endless couture collection ensured her cooking skills became the blueprint for housewives everywhere.
Controversial though it may be, the ‘trad-wife’ aesthetic (trend, cultural phenomenon, whatever you want to call it) has become one of the bigger talking points of the past few years. You might not wish to be her, but you probably follow her – Le Creuset collection and all.
Now the trad-wife is at risk of being usurped from right under her nose. As Olivia Empson reports for Vanity Fair, the ‘trad-son’ is the latest iteration of stay-at-home family members taking the internet by storm.
The concept first emerged when Brendan Liaw, 28, was introduced as a ‘stay-at-home son’ on an episode of Jeopardy! in May.
Now trad-sons, also known as ‘hub-sons’, are threatening to become 2025’s answer to their motherly counterparts. It’s the byproduct of a younger generation who are staying at home well into their twenties – and not necessarily for lack of trying.
According to finds by Rohan Shah, economics professor at the University of Mississippi, around 1.5 million more adults under 35 live with their parents today than a decade ago. The economy has everything to do with.
Self-confessed ‘stay-at-home’ kids have shared their financial woes on social media, which has also helped to normalise the growing trend. Given the economic disparities that many Gen Z and Millennials are facing, its no wonder they’re remaining firmly in the bosom of their mother when given the choice.
I don’t blame them. Rent is astronomical, especially if you live in London. And for many of us, the capital is the only viable option for chasing the career we want. The mounting pressure to return to the office full-time is only exacerbating this strain, as young people are forced to relocate to major cities in order to continue working.
It’s interesting, however, that receiving financial help from you parents is often framed as a taboo subject amongst those of us in our late twenties and early thirties. Even if the bank of mum and dad is ready and willing to help, a lot of us feel shame and even humiliation when asking for it.
Yet choosing to remain at home isn’t seen as such a controversial decision – despite the fact that it serves the same means to the same end: softening the blow of rental payments.
As rising housing prices and inflation continue to outpace wage gains, the option of purchasing a property is becoming less and less viable for many of us. So why not stay with your parents long-term, where you can put some money aside and live without the monthly strain of a foot-tapping landlord?
Why, then, is this act of living with your parents so firmly gendered in the culture? Trad-wives are tied up in archaic ideals of femininity, where women belonged firmly in the home where they could cater to their husband’s every whim.
